Hi,
My husband and I and our 12 year old daughter will be cruising on the sapphire in jan '07. This will be our 2nd cruise and our daughters first. We are all looking forward to this. Has anybody cruised on the sapphire before? If so, can you share any info with us?
Thanks

We were on the Sapphire 2 years ago from Auckland to Sydney. It was a fabulous ship. Plenty of kids activities from what I heard - they have their own pool and area where they have things to do all day. Not sure what info you need though. The ship is huge with 4 different entertainment areas. Don't forget to go and see all the big production shows - they are terrific. They have three different shows and they do them for the early sitting and the late sitting. Make sure you get there early though as the seats fill up very quickly. If you like a nice quiet drink and some dancing go to the Wheelhouse Bar. They have club fusion as well where they have some great latin bands and also rock and roll nights. You will love it. Gayle

Hi to all who have replied to my posting. Is it very expensive on the boat and is the duty free shopping good. If anybody is going on this cruise, leaving sydney jan 09/07, please contact me. Is there an adult only pool area onboard? Happy cruising everybody.

Just remember everything is in US$. Shopping is quite good for cosmetics - Clinique is a very good price. They don't really have duty free shopping but it is cheaper than in Australia. Drinks on board were reasonably priced. Basic spirits are the best value - from memory around $4US for a single malt scotch. If you like vodka - vodka and orange are very good value especially if you buy the large size - you get around 750ml drink for around $7US and it lasts pretty much all night. If you like coctails I can highly recommend the 'chocolate banana' Its the best drink around. You can buy a moctail version for kids - it like an alcoholic banana smoothie and very very nice :-) Wine is reasonably priced if you want a bottle for dinner. Comparable to what you would buy here - we tried some nice ones fro Chilie and also California. There are 5 or 6 pools on this ship and we found they were not very used at all. We used to go to the one right out the back. There are 2 pools and I can't remember if there are 2 or 4 spas there. The pools were never crowded when we were there. The kids have their own pool undercover so they don't get sunburnt. Buy a soda card - we usually just buy the one between us. The put a sticker on your card and you flash it at the bar and all your softdrinks are free (not cans) - works out about $4US a day unlimited which is really good value. I don't drink a lot of softdrinks - mainly soda water but it can get expensive if you are paying as you go. Anything else you think of just let me know and I will do my best. Mummsie

Hi Mummsie,
Thankyou for your info, much appreciated.After reading a few replies, I am now concerned with sea sickness! I am new to cruising, and think our cabin is near the rear of the ship. Which side I dont know! Did you do anytime dining? We have 2nd seating, but think we will alternate. We are staying in sydney for 2 nights prior to the cruise and have 4 nights in auckland. Can you tell me where the ship docks in sydney to embark? I want to stock up on perfume on the ship, late xmas pressies! My hubby has bought vouchers for the lotus spa for mothers day and my birthday, i will be having as many massages as I can! Bye for now,
Michele

Hi, You can choose to do anytime or tradition but once you decide you can't go back. Traditional is ALWAYS booked out so if you have traditional I would keep it. I much prefer the Tradional dining although saying that on our last cruise on the Star Gemini they only have anytime and it was good too. The ship usually pulls in at Circular Quay just opposite the Opera House so its a nice short walk to lots of things. If you are worried about seasickness, buy a box of Quells. You can buy them over the counter for about $5. They work for me. If you run out on the ship, you can buy Dramamine from the shop on the ship for about $3 for 4 tablets. They also work really good. Take them at night before you go to bed. As a last resort, if the Quells don'w work go straight to the doctor on board. He will give you a jab in the behind, it will put you to sleep for a few hours and when you wake up you will feel fantastic. I had to do that our very first cruise. :-)
Be careful when you have your spas - they try and give you the hard sell to buy their very expensive products. There is another website that has loads of information on cruising - that's where I usually hang out. I only found this one by accident. They are always complaining about the hard sell. If you want to check it out the website is cruisecritic.com
I guess you have your accommodation booked in Auckland. We stayed at the Copthorne and it was fantastic. We got up early to watch the ship come in - its just across the road :-)
Gayle

Hi,
we are in March 2007 on Sapphire Princess in Australia/Neuseeland for about 2 weeks. We started at 28.02.07 from Sydney.
We flight from Germany to Perth and will stay 5-6 weeks in Australia. What about clothes for dinner(dinnerjacket, robe) on Sapphire Princess?
I want to let my smoking (dinnerjacket) at home!
We have 8 flight, so we have only a little baggage, like the free 20kg on the flight; .
I look forward to hearing your feedback

You will need a dinner jacket for formal nights unless you are taking a tuxedo. The rest of the evenings will be smart casual which is slacks and a polo shirt or a dress shirt, no jeans. If you don't wish to dress up for dinner, you can eat at the buffet. Hope you have a wonderful cruise!